Randy Couture Inks Multi-Year Deal with Spike TV, Will Coach Bellator Reality Show

Randy Couture has signed a multi-year agreement with Spike TV and will serve as a coach for the first season of Bellator’s forthcoming reality show on the Viacom-owned cable network.

Sherdog.com confirmed the news with sources close to the deal on Tuesday morning following an initial report from SI.com. Spike is expected to formally announced the signing during a Feb. 5 press conference.

The extent of Couture’s participation in Spike programming is not yet known, but he is expected to appear on the network outside his obligations to Bellator’s reality show. This will not be the first MMA reality television show in which Couture has participated, as the decorated two-division UFC champion previously coached opposite Chuck Liddell in the inaugural “Ultimate Fighter” on Spike in 2005.

The debut date for Bellator’s new series has not been announced, but it will likely feature lightweight and welterweight fighters, presumably competing in a tournament-style competition. Promotion officials previously announced that the show will be produced by “Amazing Race” co-creator Bertram Van Munster. Bellator recently moved its weekly live event programming to Spike from sister network MTV2 and averaged 938,000 viewers in its Jan. 17 Spike debut.

A UFC Hall of Famer, Couture, 49, has occasionally served as a broadcaster during Ultimate Fighting Championship cards on the Fox network since his 2011 retirement. The five-time UFC champion saw a three-fight winning streak snapped in his final in-cage appearance, as “The Natural” was knocked out by Lyoto Machida at UFC 129. Couture had previously retired following a 2006 rubber-match defeat to Liddell but returned to the heavyweight division a year later to best reigning champion Tim Sylvia. In addition to his fighting career, Couture has also made several appearances on the silver screen, notably appearing in “The Expendables” and its 2012 sequel.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Randy-Couture-Inks-MultiYear-Deal-with-Spike-TV-Will-Coach-Bellator-Reality-Show-49517

lol. Feathers are getting ruffled everyday now at Zuffa HQ. It seems the guy that Dana & Lorenzo spent the most money making a star is now coming back to haunt them.

Is it me or does it seem that former business partners of the Whiteitta's are lining up just to give it to 'em?

Randy's UFC guys & prospective UFC guys must be feeling a bit uneasy today.

Anyway...

Love it

I'd like to see Frank Shamrock as the other coach. He deserves recognition for his career from something like this. Dana has tried to wipe him from UFC & MMA history. Bellator could fix that.

PRIDE FC wrote:Love it

It gets better and better

I just hope this reality show is good and not cheesy

Interesting stuff. I wonder all the roles Randy will play outside the coaching deal.

Good lord, not another reality show.... I'll give the first episode a chance at least.

If it can help Bellator is OK though. Good to see Randy doing something for MMA after his retirement.

apparently Bozo Needleds claims he loves that Randy signed with spike and will coach bellators reality show.

Dagwood wrote:lol. Feathers are getting ruffled everyday now at Zuffa HQ. It seems the guy that Dana & Lorenzo spent the most money making a star is now coming back to haunt them.

Is it me or does it seem that former business partners of the Whiteitta's are lining up just to give it to 'em?

Randy's UFC guys & prospective UFC guys must be feeling a bit uneasy today.

Anyway...

Karma is a b_i_tch, they didnt let Randy go to another promotion and fight unless he retired. Now it seems that Ramdy retired and has gone to another promotion. UFC money promoting Randy now only to be snapped up (legally) by another promotion.

The following is bozo needles crying like the b that he is:

"Here's the thing: the right to match deal works out for the fighters. That's where a fighter finds out what he's truly worth, is when that right to match comes in. The lawyer for Bellator? He's either the biggest moron in the history of the world or a liar. For this guy to go out there and say that Spike and FOX are exactly the same, they're comparable, is the most ridiculous statement ever made in the history of the world, to compare FOX network to Spike TV. How many critically-acclaimed programs does Spike TV have? What kind of numbers does Spike TV pull every week? Our prelims on FX pull better numbers than their live main events do! On FX! Let's not even talk about FOX, FOX shouldn't even be in the discussion! Eddie Alvarez is getting screwed big time. The judge? He's not educated on television, television networks or pay-per-view. The thing is too, that drives me crazy, it's not Spike TV. It's Viacom. The pompous, arrogant clown that runs Viacom, his name is Philippe Dauman. This guy has claimed that he built the UFC. Let me remind everybody, the UFC was a time buy. We paid 10 million dollars to be in a time buy on Spike TV. They act like they were these geniuses that saw this sport coming. Comparing Spike TV to FOX is a joke and it's horrible what's happening to Eddie Alvarez."

http://www.mmamania.com/2013/1/30/3933126/dana-white-epic-rant-ufc-tonight-bellator-viacom-mma